[Albion] Would you be happy with the Albion paying a player a £100,000 a week?

[Lenny Rider]

Unfortunately that’s potentially how this hunt for a proven striker is going to pan out.

With the Covid pandemic and the resulting dire upcoming economic situation it doesn’t sit comfortably with me, but this is the level of football we find ourselves in, the only way to get off the hamster wheel now is relegation and none of us want that.

I’m old so can’t work out how to put a poll up, could a youngster do the honours please?

 

[dejavuatbtn]

No, and no.
My theory is to play with no strikers and have suitable tactics for that. We get corners, free kicks and penalties, and the rest of the time keep peppering the goal with thirty yarders. If you shoot enough times a match, surely at least one will go in!

 

[super-seagulls]

It is one of those inevitabilities of being a top club. Whether we pay it this season, next season or in ten seasons time, we will have to. I am confident that Bloom & Co will only do so when it is affordable.

But in answer to your question no, I don’t think any player is worth that amount of money to any club and a salary cap would be a good idea.

 

[DJ NOBO]

As a fan I want to watch the best players at the Albion. If the market rate for our chosen striker is £100k a week then so be it.
I’ll leave it to Tony to assess what’s affordable, or not.

 

[southstandandy]

It seems an obscene amount of money to pay anyone, but if the club was generating the income to cover it without putting the club at risk (together with not upsetting lesser paid players) then yes I would accept it. But not if it just continued to pile debt on to the club. We have to be sustainable in the long term and I trust Tony to only pay ultimately what the club can afford and not jeopardize the club for short term gain.

I do wonder whether in the next few years one or two clubs currently in the Premier League, writing cheques they cannot afford, will either fail FFP or run the risk of becoming another Portsmouth. Villa are a classic case where I fail to comprehend the spending levels they are shelled out not only last season, but already this summer too. At some point the sh*t is going to hit the fan for somebody.

 

[Bakero]

A disgusting wage but it's the reality of life in the Premier League in the age of sports-washing and multi-billion-pound TV deals.

 

[southstandandy]

...

 

[Seasider78]

The kind of players that are paid that have transfer fees that are above our level so I can’t see it happening via that route.

If we could secure a top proven striker on loan for £100k a week that is £5.2m a season which against the £14m + wages we paid for Locadia and other flops looks like good value.

So if a loan and the right player then yes given the difference it would make. 3-5 league table position improvement and it would pay for itself

 

[sparkie]

Yes, of course.

We have to pay the market rate for our top players, especially strikers.

I have more of an issue with any squad 'deadwood' being on high wages.

I'd rather have a smaller, higher earning core backed up by U23s.

 

[Lenny Rider]

The kind of players that are paid that have transfer fees that are above our level so I can’t see it happening via that route.

If we could secure a top proven striker on loan for £100k a week that is £5.2m a season which against the £14m + wages we paid for Locadia and other flops looks like good value.

So if a loan and the right player then yes given the difference it would make. 3-5 league table position improvement and it would pay for itself

Calum Wilson?

Did you not think we should have been in the mix for him?

He’s getting £110,000 a week.

 

[Seasider78]

Calum Wilson?

Did you not think we should have been in the mix for him?

He’s getting £110,000 a week.

Not for me, only one PL season with more than 10 goals for a team who were playing some of the most attacking football in the PL suggest he is not the answer to our problems. Very much overhyped and not sure he would fit in with the way we play as we don’t move the ball forwards quick enough.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Only if we can afford to.
If we establish ourselves in the top half and are generating enough income to justify those sorts of wages, then yes it's acceptable.
Gambling to try and get there isn't worthwhile, IMO.

Losing tens of millions of pounds a year, just to stay in the league is not advisable.

 

[portlock seagull]

In these times it appears criminal

 

[Stat Brother]

More than happy for a player to 'earn' £100k a week.
I certainly wouldn't begrudge Mr Dunk if that happen to be his wages.

More than happy for a player to gain £100k a week by virtue of the performance bonuses in his contract.

No too happy about Gary Goals rolling into town with generational wealth already tucked into his back pocket.

 

[Return of the Rev]

Would be happy if maximum wage was 5k per week in the top division, understand I'm a dinosaur in this respect but players salary and seat costs have sent me down the non league route.

 

[maffew]

No but its the situation we find ourselves in. Ive not an issue with the Albion paying it per se, if its affordable for the club, more on an issue for me that any club pays that money. It is wrong imo in tje world we now live in with so much disparity for individuals to earn that in the entertainment industry. Id like to see sensible wage caps across all divisions, indeed all leagues at a club level. Decent players would still be minted and set up for life doing a job most Im sure enjoy. It wont happen but football should be more alligned to the real world when it comes to money, its quite obscene really that someone can earn enough to buy a nice house in cash every 2 weeks, when other folk cant in 35 years.

Crazy money like this drives ticket prices thus pricing fans out of being able to watch their team the better they get.

 

[amexer]

Feel very uncomfortable with what they are earning now let alone £100k Albion has been a habit and part of life since I was 12 so put it out of my mind.. My only way I show my displeasure is by on principle not paying for Sky. I may just accept these wages if working people could go to a game for say £20.

 

[Hugo Rune]

Unfortunately that’s potentially how this hunt for a proven striker is going to pan out.

Potentially?

Absolute rot!

We’re not breaking our remuneration policies on a new striker and you know it but don’t let that get in the way of starting a thread for everyone to have a good moan!

How much do you think we were looking at paying Nunez? It was rumoured Benfica offered him £35k per week, I’m sure we could have topped that but not by a lot.

100k is for the sort of basket-case clubs like Palace where any semblance of control over payroll was lost years ago.

 

[Justice]

Hardly scratches the surface of the TV revenue. I have a feeling we won’t ever get to those levels judging by the current transfer window. I sometimes think we get sold a pup every season from Barber & co, transfer window isn’t easy blah blah other clubs who want a player seem to get deals done fairly quickly. I’m fine if we don’t want to go to the next level a bit of honesty would be nice though.

 

[chaileyjem]

The detail and confidence by which people think they know what players earn is pretty remarkable given its not made public (at least not at a player level).

PS: I'd take it with a big pinch of salt but the wages that several outlets who were prepared to have a punt at Wilson's wages were reporting he was after something in the 70- 75K a week range.